The Confusion of the Symbol and That Which Is Symbolised: Religion, the Nation State, Politics and Society

The extent of confusion between symbols and that which is symbolised is examined across five institutional spheres. Religion is the institution most marked by confusion of this type; indeed in some respects the symbolic message of religion may be the extent of the substantive reality. On the other hand, the very existence of the nation state may be judged to depend upon the exercise of the human imagination; hence providing a source of instability which may lead to the excesses of nationalism. In regard to social status, the main problematical element is a certain circularity: it is necessary to get people to exhibit differences in behaviour which are then used to justify or constitute the status differences themselves. In politics, the symbolism of left and right threatens to strangle creative thinking, while in education the tendency on all sides to orient towards public systems of measurement and grading undermines the claim that what is really important is pupil and student learning. A social cost is being paid for the failure to recognise and, where possible, address the issues identified.